Video: If you work from home, you know how important it is to stay connected with your boss and coworkers via email and chat programs such as Slack. The trouble is, text-only communication can leave a lot up to the imagination in terms of tone. Is your online boss really a jerk who hates everything you do? Or are you just reading their messages in the worst way possible?

Working in a traditional office has its perks. Unlimited coffee, a decent selection of snacks, and the presence of an actual photocopier can make a huge difference in your productivity. If you don’t have a traditional workplace, or you’re planning to get some work done on your holiday — to the “delight” of your travelling companions — consider Coworker.

So, you need some help. It's okay, we all need a hand sometimes. Problem is, a lot of us don't know how to go about asking - so we don't. Well, according to a social psychologist, here's the simplest, most effective way to ask for a favour.

There’s a lot to be said for being a good coworker, but it’s important to remember that it’s not just about saying hello when you come into the office each day. Being a good coworker takes effort and can be considered an art form in some ways. As the workplace becomes increasingly social, coworker relationships play an important role in building a productive workplace.

Life is competition, and it's especially easy to feel like you're losing if your coworkers are always taking bomb-arse holidays while you sit at home using a Netflix account you split with four other people.

Having an office Secret Santa can be fun. However, being in charge of organising an office Secret Santa can be decidedly not fun. Depending on the size of your office, getting everyone together to draw names can be a chore all on its own, and when you do, chances are good that somehow, some way, the one guy who was on holiday on selection day will manage to draw himself and you'll have to do the whole thing over again.

We've all had at least one coworker who was difficult, whether it was a personality clash or a case of chronic missed deadlines. The next time you find yourself frustrated by that person in the office, may we suggest some good old fashioned passive aggression?

You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated -- in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.

You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated -- in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.

You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated -- in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.

You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated -- in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.

You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated -- in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.

Tears can flow at inopportune times. Like when you're at work trying to come across as a professional that has it all together. There, there -- dry your eyes and tell everyone it's because you care so damn much.

If you have an infuriating coworker that won't stop interrupting you, it's time to go on the offensive. The next time you have something important you want say, try this.

You're in the staff room when a coworker suddenly says something that seems to attack the core of your being. Resist the urge to fire back, and respond like this instead.

You have a coworker who, to put it diplomatically, has a hard time keeping their leadership tendencies in check. In other words, he treats you like he's the boss. He provides a ton of constructive feedback (even when you didn't ask for it), divides up roles on team projects (giving himself the best one) and quashes any opportunity for others to have a say.

A key part of writing an email that gets a response from your busy coworkers is formatting. Here's the format you should use to make it easier to get the information you need in the time you need it.

When you don't get along with someone, having a conversation with them can be infuriating and agonising. It's a situation that's best avoided, but sometimes you can't get away; especially if you work together on a daily basis. Here's a way to make those talks productive.

Not all negativity in the workplace is a bad sign. Common sense says employees who describe their workplace in negative terms are the ones that are more likely to leave it, but new research shows this isn’t the case. The study identified some forms of negativity are benign and can be tolerated, whereas others are loud and clear warning signs in terms of employee retention. Study participants were asked to describe their past experiences with the organisations they had worked for, both good and bad. What they described sounded a lot like they were talking about romantic relationships. This is important for employers because this means they can apply tools that are used to mend broke relationships for the purpose of staff retention.